MITTAL STEEL,KARAGANDA

Motion Text

That this House sends its sympathy and condolences to the families of the 23 miners who died underground on 5th December 2004 at Karaganda, Kazakhstan; notes the ongoing dispute between their union (UDAO miners' union Ispat-Karmet) with their company owner, Mr Mittal, over his attempt to reduce wages by 15 per cent.; recognises that 26,000 miners working for Mittal Steel at Karaganda, where temperatures are currently minus 30 degrees centigrade, earn an average of $50 per week, including productivity bonuses; supports the miners' union's demand for a basic minimum wage of $25 per week; and calls on Mr Mittal to reverse his wage cuts, in the light of Kazakhstan's booming economy and the sustained increase in world coal prices.